Always an adventure

We were told that in Canada, there are two seasons – “winter and construction” and with the amount of roads, streets and buildings we encountered that were works in progress, we concur with that statement. Canada brought us more poutine, art, beautiful vistas and also a bit of a heat wave that began and continued on into Maine.

After Toronto we continued on to Montreal, where we spent one night then on to Quebec City. Old Montreal was really pretty, we stayed in a cool old hotel and spent some time visiting art galleries. In Quebec City, we stayed in another historic hotel within the walls and enjoyed walking around the city and of course, eating some more poutine, along with other good food. We met up with Mélanie Giguère a Canadian artist who we have a couple of pieces from in our house https://www.melaniegiguere.ca. She paints canvas and then folds the canvas to create beautiful works, we have one of hers in our front room with the wood wall and a smaller one in our hallway upstairs. She was super cool and it was nice that she took the time to come in town to a gallery to visit with us for a bit. This definitely has been a good trip for seeing some good art as well as a nice foodie trip as we have enjoyed some really good restaurants along the way.

Once we made our way into Maine, we hit the heat wave of the summer, with temps in the 90’s, which is very unseasonably warm. Our first place we stopped, was Blair Hill, near Moosehead Lake. It was a really nice B & B, where we had really nice dinners both nights. I got a massage and we were able to pop over to the Lily Bay state park on one of the hottest days and actually get into the lake – which is rare for Maine. The water was still chilly, but felt great on a 90+ heat day and even I got into the water (shocker, as I am a wimp for cold water).

The sunsets there were spectacular and changed each night with every hour. We have been up in Maine before, at Acadia Park a couple of times, which was beautiful. We really enjoyed the time we had this trip, seeing a different portion of the state. Once we got past the bigger cities in Canada and started into the rural parts of Maine, the driving was much more enjoyable as it was green everywhere with beautiful marshes, lakes and rivers. No moose sightings, bummer, but we did see a few deer. I wasn’t willing to do the 4:00 a.m. wakeup for a “moose safari” – I figured if we see one, that it was meant to be, but I enjoyed sleeping in a bit in a comfy bed.

After our time in Northern Maine we drove down to Owl’s Head and spent a few days with our friends Brooks and John, who have a beautiful house on the water where they escape the Florida heat and enjoy the beautiful views and chill Maine vibe. We visited an art museum, did a bit of shopping and fed ourselves well with plenty of oysters, lobster and other great seafood. Brooks and I got a nice hike in one day while Sam took care of a tire issue we had with the car. On our last evening with them, we sat out on their deck with some drinks and enjoyed the cool air and sound of the water. So nice to hang with friends in a beautiful place. After Owl’s Head, we ended up in Kennebunkport – where the weather cooled down a bit.

In Kennebunkport, we stayed in another historic building with was within waking distance of town. The food we had there was amazing, with a great lunch of lobster and chowder at Mabels and two spectacular dinners, at Earth at Hidden Pond and White Barn. We have eaten really well on this trip and White Barn was a highlight food wise. Sam got in a round of golf one morning while I meandered around town, visiting some art galleries and shops – surprisingly not purchasing much! We also did a drive by of the Bush’s compound and some of the scenic homes in the Kennebunkport neighborhoods. Old school charm for sure.

Sam is a road warrior and doesn’t mind driving that much, but he kindly acquiesced to my request of no days of more than 5 hours of driving if possible. Even with stops of two days, we have really had a chance to enjoy the cities and towns we have visited and have never felt too rushed. Today we drove south around Boston and took the ferry from Hyannis port over to Nantucket. We are staying in a really cute place and will cross paths with our friends Buzz and Janice who summer up here.

We will be back home within the week – with Anna and her dog Poppy in tow (yea!) We jumped into things with our friends Kyle and Emily and their boys for the week of 4th of July. As much as Sam and I enjoy hanging out together, we love the time we get with friends as well – both on the road and in our home.

I know these posts have been more informational and less exciting with story telling – thankfully no crisis that necessitate mentioning – so that’s good. Thanks for traveling along with us.

Oh Canada – Toronto version

Toronto

This recent road trip took us through parts of Canada that I had not visited before, and our first city after Niagra Falls was Toronto. We stayed at the 1 Hotel, which was in a nice location and had a really nice rooftop bar. We stopped in for a quick drink, chatted with the bartenders and we were able to get into our room early in the afternoon.

We started off our time in Toronto with a food tour, because why not eat our way through a city to find out about some of its history and culture. We enjoy doing food tours when we travel and have used Secret Food Tours at a number of cities around the world. It was a hot day and we walked two miles to meet up with our group. Turns out, we were the only ones to schedule a 3:00 tour, so we had a private tour – which was even better. We started out at the St. Lawrence Market, a gorgeous food market with tons of vendors in what was an old carriage house as well as a former prison. 

We ate our way through the market and around town for 3+ hours with our guide, Paris. Starting in the market and ending in the Distillery District, both places that we would visit again if we had more time. I really wish that Ponte Vedra had a really good farmers market – or something that had fresh produce and good local wares. One of these days – but on this tour, we enjoyed smoked fish, specialty mustards, pea meal pork sandwiches, cheese, chocolates, chicken curry and beer and finishing off with poutine (my first ever)- we definitely did not need dinner that day!!

I always enjoy seeing local art – whether in a gallery or in the neighborhoods, even if it is graffiti. The second day in Toronto, Sam got up really early to drive over an hour to play golf at a course he had wanted to play – that gave me a chance to sleep in (yea!), then meander around the city for myself. I saw that nearby, there was an area in the local garment district called graffiti alley, so I set off on foot to explore. It was a really cool area that had a good local vibe to it and had a decent amount of street art. I took my time wandering around, taking some photos and just soaking in the local vibe.

Art is definitely in the eye of the beholder – and whether it is in a fine arts gallery, a museum or on the side of a building – I appreciate it in all its forms.

We ate a light lunch at the hotel and chilled after Sam returned from golf, then had a really nice dinner that night at a place called Enigma. The chef was from South Africa, but had trained in the UK and Norway and had earned his Michelin star in Toronto. We enjoyed an 8 course meal (plus amuse bouche and two dessert courses) along with a nice bottle of vino. It was a really nice experience – one that we don’t do all the time, but it is fun to toss in every once in a while when we travel. The place and the food was beautiful – great service and every course was spectacular. If you’re ever in Toronto and want to drop a bit of $ for a really great dining experience – we would recommend the place.

I tried not to be too dorky and take too many photos, but here are a few. Toronto definitely had a big city feel, but we enjoyed our few days there.

The next day we took off for Montreal – so I’ll do another post for that and Quebec City. Visiting cities is a different way of exploring Canada, as in the past we have spent time in Waterton Lakes National Park, Banff and Cape Bretton – which are more scenic and rural/remote. I did enjoy the city tour this time around – definitely gives a different experience.

On the road again

After an intense period of traveling in the last year (Aug – October in Africa, portions of Europe and then Vietnam), then a few months in New Zealand, we decided to chill out a bit and stay at home for a while to enjoy our home in Ponte Vedra. We were planning on getting a puppy, which was supposed to join our family in the end of May. But alas, plans never quite go as expected – the litter that we were to get our puppy from only had one female and the breeder decided to keep the female for their breeding, so we were put off to get a puppy in August. Due to that, we were able to join the VV side of the family to attend the wedding of Will and Baylee and continue on to an extended driving trip.

We picked up Sam’s dad in South Carolina and drove up with him to Lynchburg, Virgina where we enjoyed hanging out with family and celebrating with Will and Baylee at their beautiful wedding held at Cedar Oaks Farm. We met Baylee over a year ago before she and Will were engaged when the family came to Ponte Vedra over New Years. When I met her, she had such a wonderful personality – I knew that she would fit well into our family as she hung out with Anna, Ethan and the other VV kids. It’s so different these days with kids weddings, and even though we didn’t bust a movie on the dance floor, we enjoyed watching the young ones dance and celebrate together.

After driving Sam’s dad back to Greenville, we had lunch from Bucky’s BBQ, always a staple food when we visit, then we carried on to Lake Lure where we stayed at our hotel. We love going to the Lodge on Lake Lure, even though we don’t get up there as often as we would like. We took a short walk and then jumped in the lake to cool off and enjoy the beautiful weather. We hopped on the pontoon boat for a sunset cruise around the lake which was relaxing and enjoyable. The day was finished by another fabulous meal at the Lodge restaurant, Appalachia where we had way more food than we could eat – great salads, steak and shrimp with risotto. It was a perfect quick stop as we started our thre- week driving odyssey.

Post Lake Lure, we went up to a beautiful property called Primland Resort in Virginia where we stayed at one of the treehouse properties and enjoyed a couple of days of golf, spa, wine and good food. Sam almost stepped on a massively well fed rattlesnake on his first day of golf, so thankfully the snake slithered away and he was none the worse for the encounter. Glad it wasn’t me – I think I would have freaked out. The golf starter showed us videos of bears on the course, which I was hoping to see (from afar) but that never happened.

We were making our way up to Canada, so we stopped in a little Bed and Breakfast just north of Pittsburg, PA where we did some laundry in town and ate at a local pizza joint before we continued on to Niagara Falls. This was my first time ever to visit Niagra Falls, which so many of my friends were surprised to hear, given the extent to which we have traveled. So I have now checked the box off my list. We stayed on the Canadian side, which had beautiful views of the falls. The town itself is like a sad Las Vegas – very touristy, but the falls were beautiful to see and we had a room overlooking the falls and had dinner where we saw the sunset over the falls and were treated to a fireworks display at dark. That was unexpected and a nice treat.

We always love to see natural wonders, so this was so nice to see.

I’ll post more later on the rest of our Canadian portion – but always fun to travel with Sam, whether over seas or on a driving trek. Happy that we still like being together after 30 years!

Why New Zealand?

As avid travelers who have been to over 70 countries and love exploring the world, we get this question often. What’s your favorite place you have traveled to? Everyone in our family (our fearsome foursome) will say, New Zealand.

Sam and I came here almost 20 years ago for the first time, to celebrate our 10th anniversary. The genesis for choosing New Zealand? – Watching “Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf” on Thanksgiving and seeing Michael Campbell (NZ golfer) playing at Kauri Cliffs, a spectacular course in the North Island of NZ. We had literally never been anywhere outside of the United States, with the exception of Mexico and Canada and here we go with this harebrained idea of flying halfway across the world for 7 days. (Note – we never would recommend flying to NZ for just 7 days!!) There are many stories to tell about that trip, which many of our friends have heard – “chance” meetings that make for a lifetime of opportunities for change.

Fast forward to 20 years later and we now have joined golf clubs in NZ and visit for 2+ months every year. We have friends from the past 20 years (some stemming from when we lived here for 6 months in 2009 with the kids) and we have been gathering more along the way (friends, not kids!) our 6 months that we lived in New Zealand with the kids was one of the best things we have ever done as a family. They weren’t damaged too much educationally from the home schooling (they both are out of college with jobs – so success on that front). We hiked hundreds of miles, saw glow worms in caves, jumped off things, rolled down hills in plastic balls and explored the country in our trusty Land Cruiser which we nicknamed “Marge”.

A lovely gathering of friends in Hawkes Bay

Every time we visit, we travel around both the North and South Islands and try to visit places we haven’t gone to before. There are some places that draw us back again and again, like Queenstown and Fiordland, where the beauty is breathtaking and hiking and adventure activities are plentiful. in this trip we have done. 3 day hike of the Hollyford Track as well as the Routeburn Track, which we have hiked 3x previously. This time was the most difficult, as the first two days were in the sheeting rain and wind – always a plus.

Hanging out at the top of the North Island, Cape Reinga

Being outside in nature, soaking in the beauty and wonder of creation in a place that has breathtaking views at every turn. Shockingly blue mountain lakes and rivers, rainforests with moss covered trees that look like something out of a Disney fairytale, mountains and beaches – most untouched and wide open. Photos don’t do these places justice, although I for sure have documented the journeys.

Blue waters in the Gibbston Valley

It’s the place, the people – the laid back way of life and comfort in the outdoors. The friends that we have met and stayed in touch with over the years are precious to us. We feel comfortable here, we are ok to have chill days just looking out over a lake to the mountains. Chill is good as we tend to sometimes jump from one active thing to another- hiking, cycling, golfing – just being active in some way, but in beautiful places, which is the kicker. I can’t tell you how many times I still say wow when I am outside in NZ, whether on a hiking track or a bike trail or just riding down the road (on the other side of the road, but I’m comfortable with that now as well).

Beautiful even in the rain

Mt Cook

We have been in New Zealand now for almost two months, starting with Christmas with our kids joining – that’s one of the best gifts ever!! Ethan came with us for two weeks spent mostly playing golf at Te Arai and Tara Iti and then going to Queenstown. Anna was with us for around 4 weeks, following us for a week in Fiji and finishing up in Melbourne, Australia for a few awesome days at the Australian Open tennis tournament.

Along the Routeburn Track

I’ve done a bit of posting on Instagram and Facebook, the only two social media sites I still remain on, but have been woefully negligent in posting to this blog. Now it’s overwhelming to try to go back and post – but I may try to do some smaller posts on some of the more adventurous parts.

Family on the Hollyford Track

We are blessed – by a strong family and friends at home and abroad. We have been traveling quite a bit in these last 15 months, so we are planning on coming back home and settling down for a while. We’re hoping to get another puppy as our home has felt like we’ve been missing something since our dear chocolate lab Winnie passed away last summer. I’ll be doing the puppy mom thing (and puppy grandma too with Ethan getting a puppy as well). Lots of things to look forward to once we return. I’m ready to dive back into my volunteer work as well and put that social work degree to use! I love the organizations I’m involved in back home: Guardian Ad Litem, First Coast Women’s Services, Haven Retreats and others – all focusing on helping women and children – supporting families in difficult circumstances. Being able to help these families brings a different kind of joy to my life.

As I get older (coming on 57 now), I don’t feel “old” – but I feel content with my life. My faith, my family – I feel like I have led a good life and if I kick off soon, I would have very few regrets. Now I’m hoping that I’ve still got a few good years left in me, to continue to watch our children grow into the amazing adults that they are. I never want to take a day for granted and I want to let those around me know that I appreciate them for who they are – lumps, bumps and all. Hopefully I’ll get a few more trips back here to this beautiful place that we love.

Family golf

Peaceful nights

Eats with sinners

Eats with sinners…

I was reading in Mark, chapter 2 today about the time Jesus had on earth as he traveled from town to town as an adult, healing people. The heading in my Bible over verse 13 says “Jesus calls Levi and Eats with Sinners”. For some reason that stuck out to me. Maybe because I’ve read a book by that name or have heard someone speak on that topic before, but as someone who loves to be in the kitchen cooking and spending time with friends socializing, the “eats with sinners” thing just struck me. Aren’t we all sinners? Or, as Christians, do we look at those who do not believe the same way we do as “the sinners” while we think of ourselves as righteous?

So when Jesus “ate with sinners”, I am assuming that he was eating with those who society (namely, the religious leaders) looked at as less than. Do we take the time to eat or socialize, or even just minister to those who are viewed as sinners, or those in society who are not in our bubble? Whether it be socio economic, political, or spiritual beliefs, racial or sexual orientation – whatever we may view as uncomfortable or less than who we like to hang out with on a daily basis. I think it’s good for all of us to get out of our comfort zone and spend time talking and socializing with people with different viewpoints. We should feel comfortable talking about our religious beliefs with those around us – not just preaching at people randomly but discussing things as friends should do. I’m going to continue to “eat with sinners” because I know that I myself am a sinner too. 

Book list of reads from my recent trip

As usual, I try to read as often as I can, especially when I travel. I downloaded a number of books on my iPad prior to this last round the world trip and the following is the list of what I worked my way through in 80 days. I was able to finish 20 books, which is less than I expected, but my reading tended to be on long flights or train rides and not during our typical travel days. I have marked my favorite reads with an asterisk* – these tend to be books that I find to be well written as well as full of helpful information. I would rather read “real books” and be able to turn the pages by hand, but with the desire to travel light and have limited luggage, there is no way I could have packed so many books. I jump around with my choice of books, many memoirs and autobiographies (often focusing on chefs and children in foster care). I do not seek out authors who share my world view or background, but try to keep an open mind when reading about the life experiences and views of people who are different than me.

*A Path Appears – Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity – Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn – This book is a follow up from the bestselling book, Half the Sky, which chronicles a variety of non-profits around the world that have succeeded and failed. For anyone who works in the non-profit world, this is a helpful book in learning what works and what does not work when trying to help those who are needy. 

*And Finally – Matters of Life and Death – Henry Marsh – An intriguing and very well written memoir of a brain surgeon in Britian who develops prostate cancer. His live story is told with details from his surgical career and thoughts on death and suffering. 

Beyond Authority and Submission – Women and men in marriage, church, and society – Rachel Green Millerˆ

Counting the Cost – Jill Duggar – The story of one of the Duggar children from the 19 and Counting reality show. It is sad to read about the difunctionally fundamental family system that she grew up in that covered up the abuse she and her sisters suffered at the hands of her brother. She is a strong woman, and with the support of her husband, while still holding on to her faith, has separated herself from the grip that her father had over her and her siblings for most of her life. 

The Displaced – Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives – Viet Thanh Nguyen – A series of short stories written by refugees who came to America and other countries around the world. Written from a relatively liberal perspective, but truly interesting to understand the perspectives of those who fled their countries of origin. 

Dopamine Nation – Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence – Anna Lembke, MD – This is not a quick read, but it provides an in depth look from the perspective of a therapist who has dealt with her own addiction issues. It shares stories of clients struggles with addiction and shares a myriad of statistics about addiction and therapeutic prescription drugs in America. 

Far From the Tree – What Does it Mean to be a Family? – Robin Benway – Fiction – A story of a child who was placed for adoption and her search for understanding the story of her birth mother and other siblings. It is a decent book, but with the tidy wrap up at the end, it seems as if it was written with a desire to be made into a movie (similar to how I felt after reading Where the Crawdads Sing). 

Finding Me – Viola Davis – A well written memoir of the actress Viola Davis that chronicles her poverty filled childhood and a lifetime of racism and not feeling as if she was enough. This was an enjoyable read and shows that she is an exceptionally strong woman. 

Free Refills – A Doctor Confronts His Addiction – Peter Grinspoon, M.D. – A true story about a physician who struggled with prescription drug addiction and how it almost destroyed his life, but he was able to work through rehabilitation and return to practicing medicine. 

*Her – Christa Parravani – A painful memoir written by a twin whose sister suffered a brutal rape and fell into addiction and eventually passed away. This is hard to read but so well written – it breaks your heart. The author is a photographer but does not include any images, which is disappointing. 

The Hunger – A Story of Food, Desire, and Ambition – John DeLucie – Another chef’s memoir – interesting, but nothing that is earth shattering. 

I Hear She’s a Real Bitch – Jen Agg – Making things work as a restaurateur as a woman in Canada. She is pretty much a kick *ss woman who while not being someone that I would likely be close friends with, I respect what she has created in her life. 

Like Family – Growing up in Other People’s Houses – Paula McLain – A difficult read that dives deep into the feelings of a child who was shuttled through foster care and family placements. It shows the love that a child feels for family, regardless of abuse that takes place. 

No Time Like the Future – An Optimist Considers Mortality – Michael J. Fox – A follow up book to his original memoir, Lucky Man. Provides an in depth look into what life looks like from someone dealing with Parkinson’s Disease. 

The Soul of the Helper – Seven Stages to Seeing the Sacred Within Yourself So You Can See It in Others – Holly K. Oxhandler, PhD – This is written from one of my professors at the Baylor school of Social Work. There are many good insights into the importance of taking care of yourself when you are caring for others. 

Spiced – A pastry chef’s true stories of trials by fire, after-hours exploits, ad what really goes on in the kitchen – Dalia Jurgensen. The title pretty much sums it up. Her stories show how difficult it is to succeed as a woman in restaurant culture. 

Taste – My Life Through Food – Stanley Tucci – A good read that provides a window into the life of chef Stanley Tucci and some of the struggles he has faced.

*We Share the Same Sky – A Memoir of Memory & Migration – Rachael Cerrotti – A very well written story that shares the journey of the writer as she follows the immigration of her Jewish grandmother during the holocaust and her life in the United States. She weaves in her story of tracing her family history and the happiness and tragedies of her own life. 

*We Should Not Be Friends – The Story of a Friendship – Will Schwalbe – I really found this book to be interesting and well written. It is a memoir of a man that chronicles the story of an unlikely friendship that began in a collegiate secret society. The author is a gay man, and his close friend is a macho athlete who ends up in special forces in the military then moves to an island to start a nonprofit school. 

Your Table is Ready – Tales of a New York City Maître D’ – Michael Cecchi-Azzolina – A cheeky memoir of sorts (although at the end there is a statement saying it is a work of fiction, which is a little misleading as the book reads like a memoir). A braggadocious story of life in the restaurant scene in NYC. 

In a previous post, I shared a comprehensive list of reads from the previous few years. If you would like a copy of my full list, feel free to reach out to me and I will forward it to you.

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

This is more of a metropolitan city than we had expected and is a reminder to us that regardless of where you travel in the world, there are always similarities. I think there are people who are afraid of travel, but it shouldn’t be intimidating. A bit of planning in advance and then allowing for flexibility and not stressing out when the inevitable changes occur. Going with the flow is definitely a characteristic that will help anyone on the road. The downtown part of Saigon was full of skyscrapers and luxury shops, but as you travel outside of the city center, the character of the city builds.

The wires are wild – somewhat of a safety hazard I would think.

Before we traveled into this city, we were unsure of which name was utilized. On all the official travel documents, it is listed as Ho Chi Minh City – but it seemed to us that the locals still called it Saigon. In the North, when we asked, we were told that the older residents called it Saigon, but when we were in the south, it seems like most of the people still call the city Saigon. It’s one of those travel quandaries that happens – not wanting to be offensive and sometimes unwittingly having it happen. There is an interesting divide in Vietnam between the north and the south, with the central area having differences as well. Hanoi is more of the political center and Saigon is the business hub. The northern people have more negatives to say about those in the south and the south has a similar view of the north. The food is somewhat different, but that is similar in the states as well – big differences between the big cities in the north and the rural areas of the south. One cannot assume that everyone in a given country is the same.

We’ve learned not to refuse tea or coffee when offered, not have the sole of your shoe facing anyone, and to receive things handed to us with both hands. When we are handed something, one hand is under the elbow of the arm that is presenting the item. The people we have encountered here in Vietnam have been very pleasant, some seem stern, most likely due to social custom (or age), but almost all have been exceptionally welcoming with a greeting of sin chao (probably misspelled), with a nod of the head and a hand over the heart.

We spent just a couple of days in Saigon and stayed in a pretty western style hotel with a rooftop bar. We went up there mid day to enjoy the views and later in the evening when we visited, it had transformed into a nightclub of sorts, complete with a DJ spinning tracks by the pool. Not our scene, but we enjoyed the people watching.

Day view

Night scene

We grabbed a quick bite for late lunch at a place called Propaganda, which I thought showed a cheeky sense of humor. The Bahn Mi was fantastic and the waiter wanted to talk to us at length about the US and Florida. Young people want to practice their English and learn about things in the states ~ the mention of Florida inevitably brings up questions about alligators. Dinner that evening was at another local place where we sort of did a point and shoot at pictures on the menu and ended up having a couple of nice plates of food with cold beers. The walk back down a pedestrian street reminded us a bit of Times Square, gold and silver painted people standing still on pedestals, karaoke being sung and a young boy, probably no older than 7, twirling sticks that were on fire and breathing out fire (all under the watchful eye of what I assume was his father). It was wild to see – that would never fly in the US!

The next morning we met up with our guide, Vinh and our driver and went all around the city seeing a variety of sights. We stopped by a cafe for coffee and to watch the older men bring their birds in cages to show off the best singing birds and socialize with their friends. Songbirds are a big thing in Vietnam, with competitions for the birds that are the best singers – birds can cost thousands of dollars and create a sense of pride.

We visited a restaurant and had bowls of pho (pronounced phuh), the steaming soup that most locals have for breakfast, full of noodles, meat, herbs, peppers with a squeeze of lime and spicy sauce added.

All the good things to add in. We used to be more careful with eating greens when we travel, especially at local places, but we’ve just set that by the wayside on this trip and have seemed to survive without too much gastrointestinal distress.

We saw some of the boats along the river with people from the Mekong Delta who brought in fruit and vegetables to sell along the river banks. We went by cathedrals and government buildings and saw the CIA headquarters where the American citizens were helicoptered out when we pulled out of the war. We stopped by the intersection where a monk famously set himself on fire, protesting the violence of war. A large, Buddha type statue has been set up and turned into a shrine.

After a mid day break – shower and quick rest, we set off again later in the afternoon and started with a stop at a local Bahn Mi place. Our guide said that this was his favorite, and the sandwich was tasty with really good bread, but it was all meat with pate added – I tend to like the Bahn Mi that is also filled with cucumbers, veggies and coriander, so this wasn’t my favorite.

Meat fest

This reminded me of the shop in Madrid where we had our calamari sandwiches- “same same but different”

Vinh then took us to some local neighborhoods where we just walked along the streets and watched people going about their every day lives. Sweeping their front stoops, playing with their children, prepping dinner, selling wares, old men sitting on low chairs, drinking the local beer. We stopped for a beer and then later for a coffee as we continued to walk. The traffic in Saigon is similar to what we have found throughout Vietnam. So many motorbikes and scooters, vying for the same road as cars, buses and trucks, all flowing in a chaotic, but organized symphony of traffic. Like flowing water, said our guide – which is true – it is unnerving, but there is a flow to it all and everyone understands that all vehicles will turn at any time, whenever the smallest opening is seen. I don’t think I could ever drive here, especially on a motorbike.

Chilling on his motorbike. We saw quite a few people doing this – so casual. I would fall off for sure if I tried this!

I love seeing how people live and our guide said this was very similar to the area where he grew up. Simple, generations of families living together in small spaces, but making it work. We finished our evening touring in the Chinese section of the city. We walked down the street being hailed into every restaurant we passed by, winding up at a place where we had some noodles and more soup. The price of eating local is wild – literally just dollars for a meal – it makes eating in a hotel or resort here seem silly with the prices of local eats. The next day we had a low key morning, catching up on news and getting ourselves organized before we began the drive town to the beach. For the drive, we just had our young driver who had limited English (and my Vietnamese is limited to hello and thank you), so Google translate was our friend when we needed to stop for the bathroom and grab some lunch. Soup with noodles was our next google translate and brought us yet another yummy lunch.

We are now in Ho Tram for a few days, at a beach resort that is full of locals from Saigon. We were supposed to finish this trip with a river cruise up to Phnom Penh, but there were issues with the boat, so that got shuttled. We had other options of swanky places by the beach, but we didn’t want to take another flight, so we opted for this resort that was less than a 3 hour drive from Saigon. It’s a nice place and we have a villa with our own oil by the beach, so we have been happy to have this as a chill last place to unwind before we start the trek home.

Tomorrow we will head to Saigon, fly to Hanoi and spend the night in Hanoi before we fly to Hong Kong, then Los Angeles where we will spend a night and finally arrive home In Jacksonville late on Thursday. The air travel is the necessary evil to get where we need to be, but I’ve got plenty of books downloaded as well as a few binge worthy Netflix shows and documentaries.

This has been an amazing trip full of memories. Sam and I have traveled well together, not that we didn’t expect to, but I think it has been even smoother than we thought it would be. My mind is now starting to make lists of what I need to do when I get back home, who I need to contact, what I need to stock up on, appointments to make. Just the normal, every day busyness. We are looking forward to catching up with our family and friends and relaxing in our home – enjoying the simple luxuries of brushing our teeth with tap water, calmer roads for driving , good air conditioning and ready access to the internet. All things that I take for granted at home. We have loved our time here – it is a beautiful country that has welcomed us warmly.

Rain in the distance.

Be a traveler, not a tourist

I wanted to stop by this coffee shop just for their sign.

I love this saying – as we try to engage as travelers when we visit different locations around the world. We don’t want to treat anyplace as if we are just tourists, but sometimes it’s hard to delineate between the two. At times, touristic things are what you end up doing when you visit a new city or town – the things that are the highlights, temples, museums, old towns, markets, vistas, they are places that can get overrun by tourists. We want to experience things as locally as we can – talk with our guide, the people working at the shops and places where we stay – we want to converse with them and take their advice as to where we should eat, where we should go and listen to their stories. Too many tourists just arrive somewhere to snap a photo for social media, dress cute and pose for the camera, then go off and eat somewhere that is consistent with their home country and retreat into the air conditioning and luxuries of their western hotel.

I will admit, after 72 days of being on the road, we have found ourselves feeling a bit traveled out and the other night, we got back to our room a bit after 7:30 and just ordered a pizza and chilled. Tourists here – we accept that. We have joked with people that we’ve met – months on the road together and still married. But we actually do like to be together, we enjoy the same things travel wise for the most part, we get how each other moves and feels. Sam can help me feel less stressed at times and I can provide balance if he is feeling out of sorts. I’m thankful that we are compatible – the yin to his yang. Yin/yang is important in Vietnam culture, so I’m glad we have that. With these long trips, I get jaded to the gift we have of the ability to travel and the comfort we feel in doing so. We say, wow, just 8 days left on this trip, we’re nearing the end when most people have only that as their full vacation. I appreciate the value of travel and that fact that I’ve been able to do so much exploring with Sam and our kids over the years.

I fully intended for this post to be a dump of photos of boats from this last section in Hoi An, as we’ve traveled in fishing boats, large and small as well as small, round fishing boats as well. Thankfully I haven’t fallen in when stepping into any of these watercraft!

Yep, we hopped in this boat and spent a nice ride with this woman who took us in a little crab fishing excursion and ended up at her home where we had lunch. She spoke only a few phrases in English, but we communicated by pointing and laughing with her.

I attempted to help row, but I will say that if left to my own devices, I would’ve been turning us in circles!

On another fishing boat, practicing our net tossing.

Sam has a future as a fisherman.

Net fishing

Views from our boat.

Tourist boats along the river in Hoi An

The smaller tourist boats along the river where people light paper lanterns and float them in the river. It was beautiful to see all the boats and the lights – very peaceful (as long as you weren’t caught in the jostling crowds!)

We were supposed to start our day with a bike ride of an hour to get to our first boat, but as we’re in the shoulder season before the rain/flood season, we’ve had rain ranging from pouring sheets to a light drizzle and we didn’t feel like starting our day being soaking wet from bike riding. Also, after watching the cars, motorbikes and bicycles moving around the city, I didn’t feel as confident with my bike riding prowess as I do in flat and dry Ponte Vedra.

We set off on this larger boat and puttered down the waterway where we passed by fish farms where their minders were walking along the thin walkways separating the fish, feeding them and checking the structures. We watched dogs scamper on these walks, just inches wide, obviously comfortable after repeating this every day. We watched the large fish nets being raised and lowered (this was done for the tourists as the real fishing is done in the early morning hours. We had the option to go out at 5:30 am and watch the fishermen, but my desire to sleep in at least another hour or so exceeded my desire to watch the live fishing action. Yes, that was a very touristy decision!

Fishermen casting their net

We joined these guys in their boat to practice our skills at casting the nets. We also got to see their recent catch of a few “junk fish” and a little blue crab. We got back on our larger boat and met up with the older woman in the round boat pictured above. I had never seen boats like that but found it truly interesting to see so many of them as we toured through an area full of trees. We bypassed the area that was full of Korean tourists singing karaoke on the boats, although we did find it amusing.

Looking for crabs to catch.

All in all, we really enjoyed our 3 day stop in Hoi An. Yes, there are areas designed to be touristy, but it is a beautiful city with a lot of history and a beautiful old town. Yesterday was a full day, started with some coffee and tea in the old town, then our boat/fishing excursion followed by a really yummy lunch of coconut, shrimp, clams with mint and lemongrass, white fish cooked over a fire and noodles.

I’m usually not one for clams, but these were fresh and really nice. I butchered the poor fish trying to eat it with chopsticks, but we were well fed!

We picked up our laundry that we had dropped off at a local across the street from the hotel (probably saving 5x the amount we would’ve spent if we sent clothes in at our hotel). Yes, we spend money on travel, but why waste when you don’t have to? We visited the spa for one more time and got our muscles worked on before chilling a bit and venturing out in the rain to walk to the old town for dinner. Another nice meal and a chat with a woman from California who was dining solo at the table next to us. Always nice to chat with others who are adventuring around the world.

We’re in the airport now, waiting to fly to Ho chi Min city (Saigon) where we will spend two nights before we finish up our trip with three days at the beach before heading back to Hanoi and beginning the trip back home. We’re definitely ready to get back home but looking to enjoy our final days here in Vietnam. It’s been a great trip and it hasn’t dampened our travel bug in the least. We miss our family and friends back home but have also made new friends along the way.

Markets and food

I am intrigued by the food culture of every country we visit. We plan our schedules with meals being a highlight, wanting to sample the local favorites and push our boundaries with what we feel comfortable eating at times. I love to cook and to visit markets, so our time in Hoi An has been a feast for the eyes and our stomaches. Food here is inexpensive by US standards and prices vary on how touristic the area is.

These little ones ~ need to be careful with them, they can be fiery

Yesterday we walked a bit to have lunch at a place (Nahn’s Kitchen) that was slightly off the beaten path and we’re rewarded with a lovely lunch that filled our bellies, for around $16. We started with two local beers and a large (1.5 L) bottle of water ~ doing our best to try to stay hydrated. Fresh spring rolls have been a staple, soft rice paper wrapped around fresh veggies, herbs and on this day, shrimp and pork. I had pork wrapped in banana leaf – pork chopped small and seasoned with spices and chiles, served with peppers. Sam had some slow cooked pork with rice, we couldn’t finish the food, the portions were generous. The staff were friendly, and the service that we have experienced in Vietnam has been superb. Sometimes it can feel a little smothering, with workers hovering nearby in shops and restaurants, continually asking how things are, if you need anything else and asking for immediate feedback.

Yesterday morning, it was drizzling, so we pushed our bike ride off till today and did a walking tour of Hoi An. Our resort, Ananatara is just a bit outside of the really touristic area, so we walked into town and spent some time in the markets, watching the locals in their raincoats and hats, selling a wide variety of items.

In the meat market

I’m always a sucker for gorgeous fruit and vegetables, and this market did not fail to meet expectations. Onions, eggplant, tomatoes, herbs, cucumbers, jackfruit, bananas, pomelos, much beautiful food. Duck, quail and chicken eggs, salt, noodles, then on into the meat market.

Every day these locals come to sell and trade ~ fresh beef, pork, chicken, slaughtered within hours and presented in a variety of ways. We saw a woman carrying a live chicken through the streets by its legs, most likely in its last moments. Not much of the animal is wasted, even the blood is used in local dishes, sometimes mixed with rice wine ~ I don’t think I would partake in that even if offered!

Selling salt

Meat market

We arrived in Hoi An. Few days ago, coming across the hills from Hue in a pretty decent downpour of rain, water rushing off the hillside and overflowing the drain gutters on the side of the road. Our driver was talented, but maybe a little faster than Sam and I would feel comfortable with driving up and down hills in the rain. We stopped en route to look at some of the marble and granite places that sold carvings and art. The first place had some beautiful items, but the hard sell was so smothering that we walked away and needed some time to think. We stopped at another, smaller place and ended up purchasing a beautiful piece that should be arriving in PV in about 45 days.

That deal almost ended when the saleswoman, after agreeing to Sam’s negotiated price, patted him on the stomach and said “Happy Buddha belly”. Our guide said not to be offended, but that it was a compliment, a simple gesture saying that when Sam smiled, he looks like a happy Buddha. I’m glad she didn’t “happy Buddha” me, I would have either smacked her or cried (or both). We are the “large Americans” as we have found when going to the spa and given slippers, robes and the little disposable underwear ~ we definitely are not the average size. Sam has a bit of a fan club here in Vietnam, as he has been called a handsome man, comments in his beard, saying he looks like Tom Cruise (not really sure where that one came from!?) and of course, a few happy Buddha’s as they say his eyes are like Buddha when he smiles.

We stopped by a tailoring shop coming into town and Sam chose some shirts to be made and I got a dress with beautiful hand embroidery. In about 36 hours, after being measured and picking the fabrics, Sam is now the owner of some perfectly tailored shirts at far less the cost of anything you could buy off the rack in the US.

We have walked, visited the spa at our resort and have gotten a few deep tissue massages from very small women that make you wince and almost cry uncle. Elbows, knuckles and sometimes knees are used to get the knots out. Somewhat painful, but really helpful for loosening up the body after miles of walking. This has been a good stop ~ a bit touristy in places, but so much beauty to see. I’ll do another post with photos of the river and the lanterns lit up at night, what Hoi An is known for in its marketing. I’ve taken so many photos of food in the markets, it’s such a vibrant place, both in the colors of the food but the personalities of the locals as well.

Oodles of Noodles

This little pup was patiently waiting for a scrap of meat.

Every kind of onion imaginable.

Morning market in the rain

A motorbike filled with betel nut plants not as many of the locals chew them now, but they are a traditional wedding gift ~ 100 betel nuts and 100 betel nut leaves. The nuts turn the teeth brown, so although the elders in rural villages may still continue the habit, it is not popular with the youth.

Fruits

Rain doesn’t stop the market.

The old goat chews the young grasses

We have enjoyed the time that we’ve spent with our guides, sometimes just chatting in the car or over coffee or tea brings conversations that are as entertaining as anything we learn when we walk through a shrine or historical landmark. We said goodbye to our guide Trung in Hanoi, after leaving Ha Long Bay and spending some time in the historic ceramic village as we passed through Hanoi.

We enjoyed our time with him and hope that one day he will be able to visit us in the US. From Hanoi, we flew to Hue and met up with our new guide, Huy. Huy from Hue (sounds like Hwee from Hway).

The historic ceramic village in Hanoi

Huy has a good sense of humor and today we were chatting about different sayings that are used in Vietnam. The old goat chews the young grasses is what we call “Sugar Daddies”, or older men going for younger girls. What we call “cougars”, (older women dating younger men), they say, young pilots flying the old planes. Their phrases are funny and a bit more nuanced at times and we had a few laughs discussing social issues, politics and life in general.

Hue is a really pretty town, much of the town has French architecture as Vietnam was colonized by the French for close to 100 years. Much of the city was damaged during the war with the US and we have heard so much history about Vietnam and how the country suffered under the various wars and changing of government under communism. Now in Vietnam, communism is still the government structure, but capitalism is alive and well. People are hustling businesses – big and small. Many people have built exceptional businesses and extreme wealth. We have found it intriguing to listen to the stories from those we have met.

In Hue, we arrived late and had dinner at our hotel and crashed in our comfy bed. The next morning we had some breakfast (now having Pho or another soup for breakfast 3 days in a row). The locals eat Pho for breakfast every day, but they don’t eat it at home as it takes a while to prepare, so they find their favorite place and grab a bowl at a local shop to start their day. I think if I ate hot soup for breakfast every day, it might not be a bad thing.

We met up with Huy and our driver and grabbed some coffee at a cool little shop that was filled with art from a local artist. His family has carried on his memory by displaying his art to those who stop by their shop. We found it to be really unique.

Caffeine and art – a great combination

From there we went to the forbidden city/Citidel, the home of past kings, queens, monarchs and leaders. The area was vast and surrounded by moats and rivers. We learned about the history of the royals, eunuchs, concubines, wars and more about the worship of those who have passed away. Familial worship is very important to the Vietnamese and there are shrines everywhere. To enter the large shrines, we had to have shoulders and knees covered and took off our shoes, no photos are taken inside of a shrine but the ones that are in family homes and set up in small places outdoors are ok to photograph if we ask.

Outside of the shrine. One of the 9 cauldrons. Odd numbers hold a lucky significance – so people pay high dollar to have the numbers 3,6 and 9 on their license plates.

It was hot and humid as we walked around, but we enjoyed learning about the history.

We covered a lot of ground as the property was huge.

We have learned about burial practices – what has been done in the past and sometimes continues, versus what is starting to change in practice for the more urban citizens. One older practice is for the family member to be buried in a temporary grave for 3 years, then on the third anniversary of the death, the family members go early in the morning to the grave site and the oldest son is responsible for the ceremony to dig up the coffin and take out all the bones. The bones then need to be washed and placed in a new, final coffin and the skeleton needs to be reconstructed- ensuring that every piece is found and put together so that the body can be reincarnated as a whole body. The family will then have a large dinner and celebration.

We were told about when the eunuchs were chosen (usually from poor, rural families) to serve the royals, the boys/men had their male parts removed (in their entirety) but the parts that were removed were placed in a jar to be kept and eventually be buried with them so that they can be reincarnated whole. Yikes! With burials, the grave site and monuments are very important – the bigger the better and we’ve been told by a number of people that families sometimes spend more money on the grave sites for their deceased elders than they do on their own homes that they live in. They will burn incense, burn paper money, paper items such as cars, food, motorbikes, water buffalo or anything that they think their loved ones can use in their afterlives.

The entrance to one of the royal tombs (men and women enter through different gates).

Guards, horses and elephants all in front of the tomb to protect and help the deceased.

Mid day, we stopped by the family home of one of the princesses and her descendants. We were led around their garden, shown their family shrine and offered tea, fruit and cakes at their antique table with inlaid mother of pearl.

These cakes look fake, but they are handmade from mung bean paste and coconut milk and covered with jelly and painted. They are edible but almost too pretty to eat. It wasn’t my favorite treat to eat, but I loved seeing them presented in front of me.

We had a few hours to rest in the afternoon and took a dip in the pool before the rain started. It poured and we were unsure if we should head out for our scheduled dinner, but we are so glad that we did. We visited the home of a local architect who was a descendent of royalty. He was one of 12 children and after the wars were over, he came back to his grandfathers home to try to rebuild. His other siblings did not want to deal with the rebuilding, as there was not much of the original home left, but this man spent 3 years designing and rebuilding the home, using reclaimed wood and carvings and creating a beautiful property with historical features as well as modern ones. He and his wife have no children, se he said that is why he had money to put into the house.

We were welcomed into the home warmly and he showed us the family shrine, and items such as the opium pipe that his grandfather used, made of ivory. There were five sections of the home that surrounded a lush courtyard with ponds and filled with trees and plants. It is important for the homes to have good Feng Shui.

The opium pipe

Gorgeous courtyard

Our host had hand painted the menu in calligraphy onto a paper fan. So many courses of home cooked food.

Our menu for the evening.

The food was amazing and was graciously served and thoroughly enjoyed.

Sam and our host, Mr. Vin

This was yet another special evening and a dinner that we will always remember. We only had two nights in Hue and this morning we took off in the rain to head over the hills to Hoi An. It was one of those drives where we are saying silent prayers as our driver is passing motorbikes and trucks in the driving rain around curves and up hills. Not quite as death defying as our drives in India, but the pouring rain made us a bit nervous. I took some video of the rain, but my phone will only upload photos and not videos for some reason. We did go by quite a few water buffalo along the way.

Cows, goats, water buffalos – all meandering along the road.

Some of the towers used during the American war.

Our guide said that after the rains, the flowers will be gone from this field, so he wanted to take our photo here like the locals do.

Locals in historical garb, taking photos.

We are loving our trip and are glad we’ve made it to Vietnam. We are a bit travel weary and are looking forward to being home in a few weeks but are enjoying the time we have here. Our hearts are heavy with the news of the attacks in Israel – it is a reminder about the depravity of man and the fact that we never know what will happen on any given day in our lives. We are thankful for each day that we have.